When it comes to keeping women in law, role models matter. However, stats compiled by Legal Week last week for a series of articles to coincide with International Women’s Day highlight just how hard it is for women to find such role models in their firms.

While more than 50% of most firms’ trainee intakes are female, this balance has tailed off markedly by partnership and, as a consequence, when it comes to leadership positions at either a firmwide or practice level.